Monaco

Scruffy, old cars crossing the border into Monaco are viewed with suspicion. This is a theme park for the rich and famous and their trappings.

Monaco's cars, yachts and shops are fantastic and an unusually large percentage of people wear furs and jewels even on summer weekdays.

Monaco is an independent sovereign state with a tiny population of around 30,000. Wedged between the Southern Alps and the Mediterranean sea, it's close in spirit to Nice and Antibes across the border, but with an added dash of glitz, glamour and hedonism.

It's a world dominated by the Grimaldis, casinos and Monte Carlo's Grand Prix, held each May. Life revolves around frivolous pleasures. There are floating and rooftop restaurants, dinner and dance clubs, regattas, Euro-discos (Jimmyz must be the world's most famous jetset nightclub), and a packed itinerary of world-class entertainment, from opera to ballet, the best held under the stars at the Prince's Palace.

There are plenty of watery attractions. The Oceanographic Museum boasts one of the best aquariums in Europe, catamaran tours of the coastline are on offer and you can admire yachts while eating seafood along the harbour. Of course, as this is Monaco, the options are limitless for those with limitless budgets. Limousines, jets, boats and helicopters are all available with drivers and pilots for those who want to feel like one of the locals.